Can My Pain From Fibromyalgia Have A Primary Cause?

Does My Fibromyalgia Pain Have A Primary Cause?

      Fibromyalgia  is painful debilitating condition that mostly affects women between 20-50 years of age. The pain from Fibromyalgia can be so severe, that simple everyday tasks become challenging. It is estimated that 12 million people suffer from Fibromyalgia with many of these people going undiagnosed. These people are the mothers, sisters, daughters, neighbors, and friends of our community. Even though Fibromyalgia is most common is middle-aged women, 25-40% of children with chronic pain meet the criteria for juvenile Fibromyalgia. This makes Fibromyalgia the most common musculoskeletal problem in young people.

       Fibromyalgia is the usual diagnosis for people suffering from widespread pain all over the body that cannot be linked to any specific injury or known cause. Headaches, TMJ, carpal tunnel, insomnia, IBS, chronic fatigue, and an inability to stand cold weather can also be symptoms associated with Fibromyalgia. All of these seemingly unrelated symptoms can make getting a proper diagnosis difficult. Adding to the problem is the fact that there are no medical or laboratory tests for the detection of Fibromyalgia. Even when a diagnosis is made, the medical approach is only an attempt to reduce or relieve symptoms as there is no medical cure for Fibromyalgia. 

The medical treatment of Fibromyalgia is usually drugs that have been shown to have little effect towards improvement. Aspirin and corticosteriods do not help the symptoms of Fibromyalgia very much, and have varied side-effects. Over the counter medications like Advil and Motrin are a leading cause of kidney damage with about 20% 0f 125,000 end-stage kidney failure as a direct result. Tylenol can also cause kidney disease, as well as digestive disorders such as peptic ulcers, Reye’s syndrome, and about 30-40% of hospital admissions for bleeding ulcers. 

Although there may be several causes for the development of Fibromyalgia, most researchers agree that abnormal function of the nervous system and your ability to process pain is the primary cause. Neurological control of blood flow, muscles, sleep patterns, and the transmission of pain may be the actual cause. An abnormally functioning nervous system can create false alarms and pain out of nowhere or from everyday movement and actions that would not be seen in people with properly functioning brain to body communication. In other words, people with Fibromyalgia have and oversensitive nervous system or what is technically called supersensitive. 

Fibromyalgia can develop from whiplash injuries, repetitive strains, overuse of neck muscles from work related tasks, even bad posture. These types of injury can cause disturbances in the nervous system which result in creating an obstruction in how the nervous system communicates with the rest of the body. This is because the nervous system and the bones of the spine are intimately connected. 

A cause of obstruction to the nervous system resulting from a deviated vertebra in the spine is called a Structural Shift. A Structural Shift can create irritation to the nerves or spinal cord and this irritation can create an obstruction to normal communication between the brain and the rest of your body. This obstruction can cause hyposensitivity or, as in the case of Fibromyalgia, supersensitivity of the nervous system. 

      A Structural chiropractor is trained to detect and correct Structural Shifts and help the body restore normal function to the nervous system. Chiropractic care can also improve spinal posture, normal movement of the spine, and increased flexibility of the spine. All of these things are essential and have been shown to improve Fibromyalgia. Structural Chiropractic has been proven as a safe, effective, and minimally invasive way of resolving secondary conditions like Fibromyalgia and should be at the top of the list of anyone suffering needlessly.